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University  Library 
University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS 


'••    : 


AS  THEY  ARE, 


MT  AS  THEY  SHOULD  BE 


BY  MIS,  I.  Me  VO&8  MiVOH. 


SAN  FRANCISCO : 


BURGESS,  GILBERT  &  STILL, 


PORTSMOUTH   SQUARE. 


lUN'TED  AT  THE  DISPATCH  JOB  OFFICE,  COMMERCIAL  STREET,  COR.  LEIDESDORFF. 


I 
Bancroft  Library 


PREFACE. 


My  only  excuse  for  giving  these  hasty  sketches  to  the  public  must  be, 
the  thousand  questions  I  am  daily  asked  regarding  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
since  my  return  from  them,  and  the  general  desire  manifested  by  the 
community,  just  at  this  time,  to  know  something  definite  of  their  past 
and  present  history.  I  have  been  stimulated  also  by  a  sense  of  duty  to 
society,  to  expose  the  monstrous  deception  which  has  so  long  imposed 
upon  the  world,  and  especially  upon  those  whose  truthfulness  and  purity 
would  prevent  a  suspicion  of  duplicity  in  others.  At  least,  I  trust  an 
investigation  may  be  the  result  of  these  developments,  which  ought  long 
since  to  have  been  made  by  a  bolder  and  more  skilful  hand  than  my  own. 

E.  M.  W.  PARKER. 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  February r,  1852. 


9,8 


THE 

SANDWICH  ISLANDS  AS  THEY  ARE, 

NOT  AS  THEY  SHOULD  BE. 


We  left  San  Francisco  on  the  12th  of  November,  1851,  to  visit  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  perhaps  spend  the  anticipated  "  rainy  season  "  in 
^     the  fair  city  of  Honolulu.     The  smart  little  craft  in  which  we  were  em- 
^     barked  made  good  the  quiet  boast  of  her  captain,  who  "  Guessed  she  was 
-^      as  fast  as  any  of  'em,"  and  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  landed  us  safe  at 
the  little  town  of  Lahaina,  on  the  island  of  Mauie.     No  terrible   hurri- 
cane  converted  the  smooth  surface  of  the  lazy  deep  into  mountains  and 
valleys,  or  rural  scenery  of  any  kind ;  no  hidden  rocks   threatened  us, 
SsJ     that  we  know  of,  and  if  the  mighty  monsters  of  the  deep  did  "  wag  their 
tails  about,"  they  were  so  far  under  water  that  they  never  raised  a  ripple 
on  the   surface.     Fair  skies  and  fair  winds  favored  us,  and  when,  one 
evening,  the  helmsman  went  to  sleep,  and  the  mast  and  the  monotony 
-   were  nearly  broken  together,  we  felt  it  rather  an  agreeable  episode.     The 
evening  of  the  25th  found  us  running  along  the  island  of  Owyhee,  which 
lay  like  an  immense  shadow  on  our  left,  draped  in  clouds,  the  mighty 
volcano  of  Kirauea  rearing  its  head  far  above  into  the  pale  moonlight ; 
but  Pele,  the  native  goddess  of  the  volcano,  must  have  put  out  her  fires 

§for  the  night,  for  not  a  spark,  or  even  a  puff  of  smoke  issued  from  any 
one  of  her  fifty  craters.     All  night,  on  the  smoothest  of  seas,  and  under 
the  loveliest  skies,  we  floated,  and  just  when  dawn  blushes  into  day,  en- 
,.  tered  the  port  of  Lahain^a.     Rosy  clouds  rested  on  the  mountain-tops, 
and  a  gauzy  mist   filled  the  valley,  through  which,  dimly  seen,  arose  a 
.<     solitary  spire,   a  few  masts,  and  the  plumed  heads  of  cocoanut   trees, 
standing  like  a  guard  of  Maltese  knights,  over  some  conquered  hamlet. 
<s^x-J3ut  when  the  sun  rose,  and  dissolved  the  illusion,  we  saw  before   us  a 
,a       lovely  bay  of  sparkling  water,  upon  the  shores  of  which  a  village  nestled 
beneath  the  shade  of  the  palm,  bread-fruit,  and  orange  trees,  now  in  their 
(**?*•?•  picn  winter  foliage.     In  the  background,  apparently  forming  an  impene 
trable  barrier  to  the  interior,  rose  precipitously  a  chain  of  high,  sharp- 
pointed  hills,  seamed  and  torn  by  the  waterfalls  which  plunge  down  their 
sides  at  some  seasons  of  the  year,  carrying  wonderful  fertilization  into 
the  vale  below.     Here  coffee  grows  wild  in  abundance,  and  we  plucked  a 
pod  of  silky  cotton  from  an  indigenous  plant  twelve  feet  high  !     The  inte 
rior  of  the  island  contains  plantations  rich  with  all  the  products  of  the 


THE   SANDWICH    ISLANDS    AS    THEY    ARE 


torrid  zone,  but  the  land  near  the  town  lies  quite  uncultivated,  the  na 
tives  living  on  raw  fish  and  poe,  and  the  fruits  which  are  indigenous  to 
the  soil,  and  the  foreigners  being  supplied  with  vegetables  and  meats 
from  the  plantations  on  the  other  side  of  the  island.  The  town  consists 
of  a  few  good  wooden  houses,  and  a  great  many  tumble-down  turf  and 
grass  hovels,  filled  with  naked  and  half  covered  natives,  who  seem  to 
divide  their  time  equally  between  squatting  on  their  heels,  and  playing  in 
the  sea.  Men,  women,  children,  and  infants,  tumbling,  rolling,  scream 
ing,  and  laughing  in  the  water,  formed  the  only  animated  scene  we  wit 
nessed  ;  for  all  the  whale-ships  had  departed,  which  visit  Lahaina  in  the 
spring  and  fall,  and  the  sultry  silence  of  a  tropical  mid-day  seemed  to 
have  settled  upon  the  place.  Hot,  hot  upon  our  devoted  heads  shone 
the  sun,  as  we  took  our  seats  in  a  boat  sheltered  by  a  cotton  awning,  to 
go  to  the  very  comfortable  hotel  of  the  place  ;  the  sea  was  one  glare  of 
light,  and  the  rays,  reflected  from  the  sparkling  sand  and  shells  of  the 
beach,  were  almost  intolerable. 

We  were  surrounded  in  our  progress  by  a  whole  fleet  of  native  canoes, 
all  soliciting  passengers ;  but  no  one  felt  disposed  to  risk  himself  in  a 
boat  like  the  half  of  a  sharp-pointed  cucumber,  in  which  the  owners 
themselves  sat  like  so  many  bronze  statues,  the  movement  of  paddling 
coming  from  their  arms  only,  and  not  at  all  affecting  their  bodies. 
Landed,  we  hastened  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  American  consul,  Mr. 
Bunker,  who  fully  maintains  his  character  for  kindness  and  urbanity. 
He  and  his  daughter  occupy  a  charming  residence,  but  find  the  place 
extremely  dull  for  persons  of  their  literary  tastes  and  attainments. 
After  an  excellent  dinner  at  the  hotel,  of  beef,  fowls  in  variety,  vegeta 
bles,  fruits,  custards,  &c.,  we  sallied  out  to  explore  the  town,  which  lies 
in  a  narrow  strip,  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  along  the  bay.  What  would 
be  thought  squalid  poverty  anywhere  else,  seems  to  bring  the  fullness  of 
content  to  the  simple  natives.  A  hut  built  of  turf  or  matting,  two  cala 
bashes,  and  a  plate  of  wood  for  poe,  with  a  few  mats  to  sleep  and  lounge 
on,  form  the  whole  furniture  of  residences,  where  pigs,  children,  goats, 
and  fowls  live  in  perfect  and  most  filthy  harmony. 

As  we  sauntered  along,  we  came  upon  a  group  taking  their  evening 
meal,  and  stopped  to  observe  them.  A  half  dozen,  of  different  ages  and 
sexes,  were  seated  flat  on  the  ground,  in  a  circle  around  two  calabashes, 
one  containing  poe,  and  the  other  fish,  just  captured,  for  supper,  and  still 
convulsively  leaping  and  writhing  about,  unconscious  of  what  was  to 
come.  We  looked  in  vain  for  any  fire  to  cook  them,  when,  to  our  horror, 
a  flat-nosed  young  beauty  of  sixteen  seized  a  horrible  cuttle-fish,  and, 
striking  her  white,  sharp  teeth  into  it,  was  in  an  instant  deluged  in  the 
blood  and  black  juice  of  the  creature,  which  wreathed  its  long  tentacular 
about  her  head  and  face,  till  she  almost  petrified  us  into  stone,  as  did  her 
prototype,  the  Gorgon  of  old. 

Poe  is  a  thick  paste  made  from  the  taro,  a  plant  somewhat  resembling 
the  yam,  and  quite  palatable  when  fried.  The  natives  are  exceedingly 
fond  of  it,  and  prefer  it  to  all  foreign  delicacies.  Their  mode  of  eating 
it  is  peculiar,  and  not  at  all  tempting.  A  large  calabash  of  the  paste  is 
made,  and  allowed  to  ferment  slightly;  around  this,  any  number  less 


NOT    AS    THEY    SHOULD    BE.  7 

than  twenty  squat  upon  their  feet,  and  in  turn  dip  one  or  two  fingers  of 
the  right  hand,  according  to  the  consistence  of  the  dish ;  one-fingered 
poe  being  much  thicker  than  two-fingered  poe.  With  a  sudden  twirl,  it 
is  wound  around  the  fingers,  the  head  is  thrown  back,  when,  plop  !  it 
goes  into  the  immense  aperture  gaping  to  receive  it,  and  in  an  instant 
disappears  forever.  It  is  a  very  nourishing  diet,  as  the  broad,  shining 
faces  of  the  natives  testify,  and  while  fatness  continues  among  these 
people,  as  well  as  among  the  Mahometans,  to  be  the  criterion  of  beauty, 
it  must  continue  to  be  held  in  high  esteem. 

We  sauntered  back  to  our  hotel  under  the  shade  of  the  trees  bordering 
the  street,  and  saw  hundreds  of  natives  in  every  variety  of  indolence, 
but  not  one  occupied,  except  it  might  be  a  mother,  lazily  searching  the 
head  of  her  shaggy  offspring.  We  are  apt  to  associate  something  of 
romance  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  Pacific  isles,  especially  after  reading 
Melville's  happy  delineations  ;  but  I  have  looked  in  vain  for  his  noble 
warriors,  or  graceful  Fayaway,  in  the  wide-mouthed,  flat-nosed  creatures 
around  me,  whose  only  beauty  is  grossness,  and  only  expression,  sensuality. 
We  left  Lahaina  the  same  evening,  in  the  midst  of  a  gorgeous  sunset, 
and  gliding  on  through  the  entire  night  before  the  coquettish  winds  of 
the  Islands,  only  came  in  sight  of  Honolulu  at  daylight,  though  the  dis 
tance  is  but  sixty  miles  between  the  islands  of  Mauie  and  Oalm.  Then 
a  dead  calm  fell  upon  us,  and  we  could  not  make  the  harbor  until  eleven 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  at  which  we  were  quite  disappointed,  as  it  was  the  day 
on  which  the  people  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  celebrate  their  indepen 
dence,  as  guarantied  by  the  English  and  French  ;  but  which  guaranty,  by 
the  way,  as  is  acknowledged  now  by  all  parties,  was  never  niade ;  each 
party  only  engaging  not  to  interfere  with  the  rights  of  the  other.  But  it 
was  otherwise  understood,  and  it  has  now  become  a  custom  for  the  king 
to  hold  a  levee  upon  that  day,  when  all  foreigners  who  wish  can  be  pre 
sented  at  court,  and  polish  their  manners  in  an  .atmosphere  of  murky 
majesty  they  will  not  soon  forget. 

We  could  not  get  on  shore  in  season  to  pay  our  respects  to  Kamehame- 
ha's  queen,  who  held  the  levee  in  the  place  of  His  Majesty,  then  absent 
on  a  tour  of  his  dominions ;  but  from  the  account  of  a  friend  who  was 
there,  it  has  been  admirably  described  by  Lieutenant  Price,  in  his  "  Los 
Gringos,"  except  that  he  omitted  to  mention  an  open  secretary  of  aid  bon 
nets,  which  forms  one  of  the  principal  ornaments  of  the  royal  drawing- 
rooms.  The  harbor  of  Honolulu  is  pretty,  though  not  large.'  It  is  de 
fended  from  the  sea  by  a  coral  reef,  which  encloses  it,  except  one  narrow 
channel,  through  which  all  vessels  must  enter  and  depart.  The  town 
presents  a  pleasing  appearance  as  you  approach.  It  consists  of  a  goodly 
number  of  large  airy  houses,  surrounded  by  deep  verandahs,  and  em 
bowered  in  shade  trees  of  rich  and  profuse  luxuriance.  It  had  rained 
in  the  morning,  and  when  we  landed  the  air  was  perfumed  with  the  gera 
nium,  jessamine,  and  other  sweets,  most  grateful  to  our  sea-nostrils. 
The  wharf  swarmed  with  natives,  both  male  and  female,  in  holiday 
attire;  arid  here  I  noticed  the  difference  between  the  provincials  and  the 
people  of  the  metropolis.  Whereas,  at  Lahaina,  they  were  content  with 
a  single  garment,  and  sometimes  only  half  of  one,  and  without  ornament. 


THE    SANDWICH    ISLANDS    AS    THEY    ARE, 

here  gaudy  handkerchiefs  were  tied  around  the  head,  or  suspended  by  the 
two  opposite  corners  so  as  to  fall  in  a  square  down  the  back ;  some  wore 
gay  wreaths  around  both  head  and  neck,  and  some  of  the  more  extrava 
gant  wore  shoes.  They  are  very  fond  of  sporting  parasols,  and  you  will 
often  see  a  brawny  fellow  of  six  feet,  with  no  garment  but  a  shirt  by  no 
means  too  long,  delicately  defending  his  head  with  a  sun-shade  of  half  a 
yard  in  diameter. 

The  town  is  laid  out  in  squares,  and  the  streets  are  wide,  and  of  fine, 
pleasant  gravel,  which  is  a  mixture  of  coral  and  crushed  lava.  There 
are  four  churches,  and  plenty  of  stores  and  hotels  ;  but  the  most  agreea 
ble  residences  are  in  the  valleys  in  rear  of  the  town,  and  the  most  luxu 
rious  of  these  belong  to  the  missionaries.  Would  that  some  of  the  pious 
poor  who,  in  a  far-off  land,  have  joyously  contributed  their  hard-earned 
mite  to  the  support  of  the  "poor  missionaries,"  could  see  their  luxurious 
houses,  filled  with  native  slaves,  for  they  arc  nothing  more,  and  witness 
the  idle  luxury  of  their  lives.  My  blood  stirs  with  indignation  as  I  con 
template  the  unblushing  effrontery  of  these  people,  who  send  their  whin 
ing  beggars  around  the  world,  asking  alms,  in  Christ's  name,  to  contri 
bute  to  the  pleasures  of  their  own  useless  existence  !  Let  those  who  read 
their  canting  reports  in  the  religious  papers  of  the  day,  go  to  the  Sand 
wich  Islands,  and  see  for  themselves  what  has  been  done  for  the  "  barba 
rous  natives."  After  the  immense  amount  of  money  expended,  and  the 
wonderful  accounts  of  revivals  and  reformations  which  have  reached 
them,  but  which  only  exist  in  the  brains  of  the  inventors,  they  would 
have  a  right  to  expect,  at  least,  an  ordinary  degree  of  morality  and  de 
corum  ;  while,  I  will  venture  to  say,  that  there  is  not  another  so  cor 
rupt  and  debased  a  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  the  natives  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands  at  this  moment !  Accomplished  thieves  and  servile 
liars,  from  whom  nothing  but  fear  ever  compels  the  truth,  they  have  not 
the  most  distant  idea  of  chastity,  and  I  doubt  if  they  have  any  word  in 
their  language  to  express  it.  Their  licentiousness  is  incredible ;  and  the 
child  of  eleven  years  is  as  deeply  corrupted  as  the  courtesan  of  twenty  ! 
I  speak  of  no  isolated  cases,  but  of  the  whole  Kanaka  community  ;  and 
they  defend  it  by  saying  "  It  is  no  harm  !  "  Poor  wretches  !  their  sin 
has  overtaken  them,  for  they  are  dying  off  at  the  rate  of  twenty  per  cent, 
annually,  A  few  years,  and  the  race  will  be  extinct  forever,  and  these 
lovely  islands,  — -  who  but  the  missionaries  will  possess  them  ?  We 
shall  see } 

They  have  songs  of  so  indecent  a  character,  and  dances,  performed 
waked,  so  horrible,  that  they  are  not  even  named  by  foreign  ladies  ;  and 
no  white  mother  will  permit  her  child  to  learn  the  native  tongue,  lest  it 
should  become  totally  depraved  by  listening  to  their  conversation.  These 
facts,  incredible  as  they  seem,  I  have  from  foreign  residents,  and  even 
the  missionaries  themselves.  The  most  important  changes  which  the 
missionaries  have  effected  are,  inducing  the  natives  to  go  to  church,  and 
to  wear  bonnets ;  and  even  of  the  latter  they  made  a  good  speculation, 
for  they  purchased  <them  in  Boston  for  a  shilling  apiece,  and  sold  them 
to  the  natives  for  three  and  five  dollars,  imposing  a  fine  on  all  females 
wJ-io  did  not  wear  a  bonnet  in  church.  All  the  finest  property,  and  the 


NOT    AS    THEY    SHOULD    BE. 


best  houses  on  the  Islands  are  owned  by  missionaries  and  those  banded 
with  them.  True,  they  deserve  some  compensation  for  their  tremendous 
sacrifices  !  Have  they  not  left  poverty,  an  inhospitable  climate,  and  an 
insignificant  position,  to  come  away  out  here  to  an  earthly  Paradise,  where 
they  roll  in  ease  and  luxury  ?  In  1820,  the  first  missionaries  landed  at 
Honolulu,  and  by  their  own  account,  published  in  the  Missionary  Herald, 
found  a  people  ignorant,  but  innocent,  brave  and  amiable.  "  They  had 
already  destroyed  their  idols,  by  the  command  of  their  king  Rihoriho, 
son  of  the  noble  Kamehameha  1st,  who  was  a  man  of  ambitious  spirit, 
and  great  powers,  both  of  mind  and  body."  They  were  a  fine  athletic 
race,  their  pleasures  were  innocent,  they  were  contented  with  the  posi 
tion  G-od  had  given  them,  and  asked  only  to  be  left  to  the  enjoyment  of 
an  unrivalled  climate,  and  the  spontaneous  productions  of  Nature,  their 
bounteous  mother. 

What  is  the  result  of  thirty  years  of  missionary  labor  ?  Diseased, 
powerless,  degraded,  the  people  have  sunk  into  the  position  of  slaves, 
nor  dare  they  raise  a  hand  in  opposition,  so  complete  is  the  bondage  in 
which  they  are  held.  Fined,  imprisoned,  whipped  for  disobedience, 
they  see  themselves  stripped  of  everything,  by  people  who  made  laws  to 
rob  UTiderj  and  therefore  there  is  no  redress.  But  they  writhe  under  this 
oppression,  and,  cowed  and  miserable  though  they  are,  they  only  submit 
from  the  fear  that  the  missionaries  will  pray  them  to  death !  They  are 
firmly  persuaded  that  this  can  be  done,  and  if  one  is  told  that  he  will  be 
"  prayed  to  death,"  all  the  terrors  of  imagination  are  roused  ;  he  retires 
to  his  hut  chilled  with  a  supernatural  fear,  lays  himself  down  in  resigna 
tion  to  his  fate,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  actually  sinks  into  the 
grave.  0,  Superstition  !  Thou  friend  of  missionaries,  and  terror  of 
barbarians ! 

There  are  many,  especially  in  Honolulu,  in  whom  a  sense  of  the  mon 
strous  injustice  they  suffer  rankles  like  a  poisonous  sting,  and  the  chief 
sufferer,  in  pain  as  in  rank,  is  the  royal  Kamehameha  3d,  who  fully  feels 
the  mockery  of  his  position.  Noble  in  person,  generous  to  a  fault,  he 
has  still  something  of  the  spirit  of  his  grand  old  ancestor,  Ka-me-ha-me- 
ha  1st.  But  he  has  been  from  his  boyhood  so  encircled  by  a  complicated 
web  of  restrictions  and  curtailments,  which  he  had  not  patience  to  un 
ravel,  nor  strength  to  break  through,  that  he  has  thrown  off  in  disgust 
all  pretensions  to  royalty,  except  the  name,  and  has  repeatedly  declared 
his  intention  to  abdicate  the  throne,  and  live  in  peaceful  retirement. 
But  this  would  not  at  all  suit  the  wire-workers ;  they  might  not  find  an 
other  king  so  docile,  or  so  much  beloved  by  his  people,  and,  aware  of  the 
general  discontent,  they  dread  any  change  which  may  serve  as  an  excuse 
lor  throwing  off  their  authority.  Thus,  for  a  little  while  they  put  off 
the  evil  day ;  but  the  time  will  soon  come  when  they  must  yield  up  their 
ill-gotten  power,  and  retire  into  their  native  insignificance.  The  farce 
of  royalty  acted  here  reminds  me  of  a  play  among  school-boys,  called 
the  "  dumb  orator,"  where  one  boy  stands  perfectly  still  and  speaks, 
while  another,  concealed  behind  him,  makes  the  motions.  Poor  Kame 
hameha  makes  the  motions,  but  has  not  a  word  to  say  for  himself. 
The  real  king  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  is  Doctor  Gr.  P.  Judd,  a  person 


10  THE    SANDWICH    ISLANDS    AS    THEY    ARE, 

of  ordinary  capacity  and  attainments,  but  extraordinary  cunning,  who 
came  out  here  from  Massachusetts  about  twenty  years  ago,  attached  to 
some  missionary  company  as  physician.  Finding  the  climate  so  charming, 
and  the  opportunities  so  great,  he  decided  to  remain.  By  degrees  he 
obtained  the  confidence  of  the  king  and  principal  chiefs,  who,  looking  up 
to  him  as  a  Great  Medicine,  accepted  his  advice  and  assistance  in  form 
ing  a  government  and  making  new  laws,  till  at  last  they  found  themselves 
completely  in  his  power.  He  gave  the  principal  state  offices  to  his  fast 
friends,  reserving  to  himself  that  of  Minister  of  Finance,  which  he  still 
holds,  and  which,  for  many  years,  he  administered  without  being  respon 
sible  to  anybody. 

At  last,  so  much  complaint  was  made  of  his  expenditure  and  use  of 
the  public  monies,  that  an  auditor  was  appointed,  but  always  a  creature 
of  his  own,  who  was  very  useful,  for  he  did  his  bidding  and  formed  his 
shield,  at  the  same  time.  Meanwhile,  his  purchases  and  grants  of  land 
were  immense,  and,  it  is  a  matter  of  record,  in  the  Government  House, 
that  he  purchased  at  one  time  seventeen  thousand  acres  of  land  for  fifty 
cents !  But  if  the  king  bestows  a  house  and  lot  upon  some  faithful  old 
servitor  or  friend,  of  whom  Mr.  Judd  does  not  approve,  he  is  forthwith 
thrust  out  of  it,  and  told  to  go  about  his  business. 

The  king's  allowance  is  $12,000  per  annum.  A  pitiful  sum  to  keep 
up  his  extensive  establishment,  and  gratify  his  liberality,  which  is  truly 
royal.  But  nobody  will  give  him  credit,  for  even  his  note  is  not  good 
except  it  has  the  signature  of  the  Premier,  who  of  course  obeys  Mr. 
Judd.  Meanwhile  the  king  is  penniless,  and  must  have  money;  his 
faithful  servant,  Mr.  Judd,  loans  it  to  him  at  a  good  rate  of  interest, 
and  a  mortgage  on  his  land ;  the  poor  king,  never  able  to  pay,  sees  in 
despair  the  heritage  of  his  fathers  passing  into  the  hands  of  his  over 
grown  subject,  whose  arrogance  and  possessions  hourly  increase,  until 
there  is  nobody  in  the  eyes  and  mouths  of  the  people,  nobody  in  the  esti 
mation  of  foreigners,  nobody,  in  fact,  in  all  the  Sandwich  Islands,  but 
Mr.  Judd,  Minister  of  Finance.  Consuls,  Minister  of  Foreign  Rela 
tions,  Ministers  Plenipotentiary,  all  sink  into  insignificance,  and,  if  any 
foreigner,  either  American  or  otherwise,  hopes  to  obtain  favor,  either 
from  government  or  society,  he  pays  assiduous  court,  not  to  the  king, 
nor  to  the  representative  of  his  nation,  but  to  Mr.  Judd.  The  laws  and 
statutes,  which  were  made  and  compiled  under  the  fostering  care  of  the 
Minister  of  Finance,  are  a  complete  system  of  loopholes,  through  which, 
if  a  man  chooses,  he  can  slip  with  a  large  load  upon  his  back,  and  even 
carry  off  whole  plantations,  if  necessary.  What  a  wonderful  adaptation 
of  means  to  ends. 

Freedom  of  the  press  is  one  of  the  articles  guarantied  by  the  Hawaian 
constitution.  For  a  long  time,  the  people,  especially  foreign  residents 
here,  have  been  aware  of  the  pressure  of  this  u  Old  Man  of  the  Sea  " 
upon  their  necks,  and  desirous  of  unhorsing  him.  Already  their  trade 
was  crippled  by  his  exactions,  their  plantations  ruined,  and  commerce 
destroyed.  They  believed  their  best  remedy  would  be  a  liberal  newspa 
per,  which,  by  exposing  the  government,  would  eventually  insure  redress. 
Accordingly,  a  weekly  journal  was  commenced,  which  commented  pretty 


NOT    AS    THEY    SHOULD    BE.  11 

freely  upon  the  proceedings  of  the  privy  council  and  king  Judd.  The 
latter,  wishing  to  obtain  a  certain  offensive  manuscript,  invited  the  com 
positor  to  his  house,  and  after  plying  him  freely  with  wine,  offered  him 
three  hundred  dollars  in  gold  if  he  would  break  open  a  certain  trunk, 
where  he  knew  it  was  deposited,  and  obtain  it.  The  compositor,  now" 
very  tipsy,  consented,  broke  open  the  trunk,  deposited  the  obnoxious 
paper  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Judd,  who  immediately  put  him  on  board  a 
schooner  in  waiting,  and  sent  him  down  to  Lahaina.  The  parties  robbed, 
discovering  the  theft,  pursued  and  brought  the  culprit  back,  who,  now 
thoroughly  sober,  and  full  of  remorse,  went  with  them  to  Mr.  Judd,  and 
exposed  the  whole  plot,  which  he  did  not  deny,  but  coolly  defied  them  to 
lay  a  finger  on  the  Minister  of  Finance  ;  and  they  dared  not  do  it.  But 
these  things  cannot  last.  "  Curses,  not  loud,  but  deep/'  are  showered 
upon  him  by  the  whole  business  community,  and,  when  they  gain  a  little 
more  strength  of  numbers,  his  rule  will  be  abolished,  even  at  the  expense 
of  an  entire  revolution.  This,  he  himself  fears  and  anticipates,  and  is 
already  bespeaking  the  forbearance  of  the  planters,  by  loaning  them 
money  to  relieve  the  distress  his  own  measures  have  brought  upon  them. 

The  Kanakas  look  up  to  the  whites  with  great  reverence  and  admira 
tion,  and  they  fully  believe,  that  if  they  had  a  government  like  that  of 
the  United  States,  their  country  would  start  forward  in  the  race  of  civili 
zation  as  rapidly  as  California  has  done,  of  which  they  have  heard  so 
much,  and  of  which  they  are  incessantly  talking.  There  is  not  a  shadow 
of  doubt  but,  if  a  few  wise  and  resolute  men  were  found  to  guide  and 
lead  them,  that  the  entire  people,  with  the  king  at  their  head,  would  joy 
fully  aid  in  the  overthrow  of  the  present,  and  the  creation  of  a  new  form 
of  government.  There  is  no  talk  of  a  discovery  of  gold  mines  here,  but 
there  are  thousands  and  thousands  of  acres  of  rich  sugar  and  coffee  lands 
now  lying  waste  in  these  islands,  in  a  climate  that  has  not  its  equal  under 
heaven.  All  the  tropical  fruits,  and  many  of  the  products  of  the  tem^ 
perate  zones,  such  as  corn  and  all  kinds  of  vegetables,  grow  here,  abso 
lutely  without  culture  or  care,  except  to  drop  the  seed  into  the  earth* 
The  island  is  covered  with  cattle,  sheep  and  goats,  and  horses  are  so» 
plenty,  that  almost  every  native,  be  he  ever  so  poor,  keeps  one  or  two 
of  his  own.  Millions  of  fowls  are  everywhere  seen,  and  thirty  hogs  can 
be  bought  for  seventy-five  dollars.  Nothing  ever  dies  of  cold  or  starva 
tion,  and  there  are  no  birds  or  beasts  of  prey.  The  scenery  of  these 
islands,  too,  is  charming.  Lofty  hills  and  lovely  dales,  towering  moun 
tains  and  smiling  valleys,  all  covered  with  rich  verdure,  are  delightfully 
intermingled.  Sparkling  streams  charm  eye  and  ear,  while  cool  breezes 
wave  the  most  luxuriant  foliage.  The  acacia  and  rose-geranium  grow 
wild,  sweet  roses  blossom  all  the  year,  and  immense  passion-flowers,  in 
digenous,  are  the,  most  common  of  vines.  The  water  is  excellent,  and 
the  sea  is  full  of  fine  fish  in  grea^varie^-  Wh^earthly  want  has  man, 
that  cannot  here  be  gratified  ? 

The  commercial  importance  of  Honolulu  in  the  future  is  yet  hardly 
estimated.  For  many  years,  it  has  been  the  principal  and  almost  the 
only  port  for  supplying  whale  ships  in  this  region,  and  the  arrivals  are 
sometimes  as  many  as  seven  per  day.  These  vessels  for  three  months. 


12  THE    SANDWICH    ISLANDS    AS    THEY    ARE, 

fitting  out  for  a  six,  or  nine  months  cruise,  necessarily  buy  largely,  and 
at  high  prices,  because  they  can  buy  nowhere  else.  The  merchants  also 
make  immense  profits  by  discounting  drafts  on  the  United  States,  the 
lowest  rate  being  fifteen,  and  the  highest  sixty  per  cent.  But  when  we 
consider  that  it  lies  in  the  very  highway  of  nations,  and  of  the  immense 
commerce  that  must  necessarily  exist  between  China  and  the  western 
ports  of  the  United  States  and  Central  America,  since  the  wonderful 
discoveries  of  gold  in  California,  we  can  easily  foresee  a  rapid  and  won 
derful  increase  in  the  wealth  and  importance  of  Honolulu,  both  from  the 
profitable  sale  of  the  island  products,  and  the  increase  of  emigration, 
attracted  by  its  commercial  and  agricultural  advantages.  In  a  few  years 
it  should  rival  Havana  in  importance,  as  it  already  does  in  the  richness 
of  its  dependencies,  and  become  a  universal  place  of  resort  for  all  those 
whose  health  or  leisure  induce  them  to  exchange  the  rainy  winters  of  the 
Coast  for  the  delicious  ones  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

To  those  accustomed  to  anything  larger  than  a  country  village,  how- 
over,  the  society  of  Honolulu  presents  few  attractions.  Isolated  as  it  is 
from  the  rest  of  the  world,  with  little  to  excite  or  interest  from  without,  its 
members  have  full  leisure  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  their  neighbors; 
and  it  is  irreverently  said  that  a  lady  long  known  to  the  public  as  Madam 
Scandal,  presides  over  their  tea-tables.  She  says  to  the  world  in  gen 
eral,  "  If  there's  a  hole  in  &'  your  coats,  I  rede  ye'll  tent  it ;  "  and  woe 
to  the  unlucky  wight  who  has  ever  so  small  a  rent,  for  it  will  be  immedi 
ately  enlarged  to  admit  the  seven  deadly  sins  in  solid  column.  It  is  infi 
nitely  amusing  to  remark  in  what  a  different  light  they  look  upon  stran 
gers,  and  strangers  upon  themselves.  With  them,  as  in  China,  all 
visitors  are  outside  barbarians,  while  the  individual  condemned  to  their 
society  for  a  few  months,  bears  his  penance  as  patiently  as  he  can,  and 
thanks  his  stars  that  it  is  not  forever.  "  Would  that  the  gods  some  gift 
would  gie  us,  to  see  oursel's  as  others  see  us."  However,  that  there  are 
excellent  and  hospitable  people  in  Honolulu  there  is  no  doubt,  and  per 
haps  some  who  go  there  really  have  ragged  coats ;  besides,  they  are  not 
so  much  more  severe  upon  strangers  than  upon  each  other ;  and  by  visit 
ing  the  different  families  in  succession,  you  may  obtain  the  private  history 
of  each  neighbor,  with  illustrations  and  variations  ;  and  a  very  funny 
melange  will  be  the  result. 

Mr.  Judd's  family  consider  themselves  at  the  head  of  society,  and 
perhaps  their  accomplishments  would  sustain  them.  Mrs.  Judd,  I  am 
told,  excels  in  designing,  the  three  young  ladies  play  the  piano,  and,  since 
their  father's  return  from  Paris,  are  scarcely  able  to  speak  any  English, 
although  they  did  not  accompany  him.  Their  morning  toilet  has  become 
a  dishabtik,  their  fancies  are  pongchongs,  and  instead  of  wine,  they  poison 
people  with  something  they  call  "  Bores  (boires)  Frangais."  They  are 
all  "  maids  of  honor  "  to  her  dingy  majesty,  the  queen,  who,  on  recep 
tion  days,  looks  like  some  fat  "  old  Mammy  "  of  the  South,  displaying 
"  Massa's  "  children.  The  children  of  the  present  king  can  never  in 
herit  the  throne,  as  the  queen  is  not  of  noble  blood,  but  by  command  of 
the  missionaries,  was  raised  from  the  position  of  mistress,  to  that  of  wife 
of  Kamehameha  ;  thus  securing  the  crown  to  another  branch  of  the  royal 


NOT    AS    THEY    SHOULD    BE.  13 

family.     In  fact,  all  three  of  the   queen's   children   disappeared  imme 
diately  after  their  birth,  and  have  never  been  heard  of  since. 

Considerable  excitement  was  caused  at  Honolulu  and  all  the  island 
ports  by  the  arrival  of  so  many  Californians  as  have  visited  them  the 
present  winter,  and  great  military  preparations  were  made  to  destroy 
them,  if  anything  like  a  revolution  should  be  attempted.  In  the  first 
place,  the  police  was  doubled,  so  as,  if  possible,  to  check  it  in  the  bud ; 
if  that  should  prove  ineffectual,  they  had  at  command  some  eight  or  ten 
hundred  Kanaka  warriors,  before  whom  Bombastes  Furioso  might  have 
set  his  boots  with  impunity.  Conceive  a  mob  of  natives,  of  all  ages  and 
sizes,  ragged  and  dirty,  most  of  them  shoeless,  and  many  without  hats, 
some  armed  with  guns  which  might  go  off  by  chance,  more  with  those 
which  could  by  no  possibility  be  fired,  and  you  have  an  idea  of  the  in 
fantry, —  cavalry  they  have  none;  and  their  lancers  are  armed  with 
"sharp  sticks,"  most  of  them  without  heads.  If  this  frightful  array 
had  failed  to  lay  this  phantom  rebellion,  they  would  doubtless  have  re 
sorted  to  their  artillery,  only,  unfortunately,  it  was  all  spiked  by  the 
French  last  year,  except  that  on  "  Punch  Bowl  Hill,"  which  commands 
the  town  and  harbor,  and,  for  that  reason,  is  a  greater  terror  to  them 
selves  than  anybody  else. 

Last  November,  some  Kanakas,  about  thirty  in  number,  who  had  been 
confined  in  the  fort  for  some  petty  infringement  of  the  laws,  made  their 
escape,  and,  headed  by  a  boy  of  eighteen,  the  son  of  a  chief,  took  the 
"  Hill,"  turned  the  guns  upon  the  town,  and  especially  upon  Dr.  Judd's 
house,  and  would  have  dictated  their  own  terms  of  surrender,  if  they 
could  have  obtained  fire  to  touch  them  off.  This  they  were  unable  to  do, 
and  being  otherwise  unarmed,  were  forced  to  yield.  The  Hawaian  navy 
is  equally  formidable  with  the  army ;  it  consists  of  a  vessel  of  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  tons  burden,  called  the  King's  Yacht,  carrying  twelve 
enormous  pop-guns,  and  manned,  besides  the  commodore,  captains,  lieu 
tenants,  purser,  surgeon,  midshipmen,  &c.,  by  twelve  men  before  the 
mast !  If  a  revolution  should  ever  be  attempted  by  any  parties  except 
the  natives,  however,  they  must  be  prepared  to  bear  nearly  the  entire 
brunt  of  the  battle,  whatever  it  may  be,  for  the  foreign  residents,  with 
few  exceptions,  will  do  nothing  to  commit  themselves  with  the  present 
government,  however  glad  they  might  be  to  claim  the  first  advantages  of 
a  new  one. 

The  missionaries  are  very  suspicious,  and  their  present  policy  is  to 
exclude  all  foreigners  from  office  except  themselves,  especially  if  they 
are  popular  enough  to  obtain  one.  At  the  election  held  on  the  first  of 
January,  the  "  free  and  independent  voters  "  of  Honolulu  were  forbidden 
to  elect  any  white  man.  Ministers  of  the  pulpit  fulminated  their  anathe 
mas  against  those  who  should  dare  to  vote  for  one,  and  a  large  police 
force  was  sent  to  the  polls,  who  snatched  the  obnoxious  tickets  from  their 
hands,  and  carried  those  off  to  the  fort  who  made  any  resistance ;  thus 
illustrating,  in  a  most  forcible  manner,  the  admirable  principles  of  liberty, 
so  attractively  taught  by  Mr.  Judd,  a  son  of  the  Pilgrims.  Another 
point,  which  at  first  view  would  seem  a  little  singular,  is  the  manner  of 
imposing  taxes.  They  have  a  poll  tax,  a  school  tax,  horse,  mule,  donkey, 


14  THE    SANDWICH    ISLANDS    AS    THEY    ARE, 

and  dog  tax,  but  no  tax  on  real  estate.  The  mystery  is  at  once  explained, 
however,  by  recollecting  that  the  land  is  nearly  all  owned  by  the  mission 
aries,  and  therefore  escapes  ;  while  the  poor  fellow  who  is  so  unlucky  as 
to  own  a  donkey  to  carry  his  poe  to  market,  must  go  to  the  collector's, 
;and  pay  his  tax.  Besides  those  above  enumerated,  the  missionaries 
oblige  all  the  Kanaka  church-members  to  pay  them  a  weekly  tribute. 
On  each  Sabbath,  they  exact  a  sum  in  proportion  to  their  means,  or  to 
their  own  power  over  them  ;  the  women  always  paying  the  most,  and 
•often  for  themselves  and  their  husbands  both,  as  the  men,  who  never 
work,  have  no  opportunity  of  obtaining  money,  and  the  women  only  by 
the  vilest  means.  This  the  missionaries  are  perfectly  aware  of,  and 
sometimes,  in  a  fit  of  virtuous  indignation,  impose  an  additional  fine,  on 
that  account.  The  Rev.  T.  Coan,  at  Hilo,  Hawaii,  said  to  his  congrega 
tion  a  few  weeks  since,  when  receiving  tribute,  "  I  wish  none  to  pay  me 
the  wages  of  prostitution."  "  Then,  sir,"  quietly  replied  one  of  the 
women,  "  you  will  get  nothing,  for  we  have  no  other  money  !  "  To  this, 
of  course,  there  was  no  reply,  but  the  tribute  was  received ,  as  usual.  The 
same  gentleman  dismissed  a  native  from  the  church,  for  letting  a  horse 
to  a  foreigner  on  Thursday,  to  be  returned  the  next  Sunday,  though  the 
same  man  had  kept  a  notorious  house  of  ill-fame,  for  months  before, 
without  reproof.  It  is  necessary  to  "  strain  at  a  gnat,"  occasionally,  so 
as  to  furnish  a  high  sounding  report  for  the  religious  community  of  the 
United  States,  and  keep  up  creditably  the  monstrous  humbug  which  has 
so  long  imposed  upon  them  ;  and  I  will  candidly  confess  that,  in  writing 
these  sketches,  I  feel  a  hesitancy  in  exposing  its  whole  length  and  breadth, 
lest  its  enormity  should  cast  a  doubt  upon  the  veracity  of  the  whole. 

There  are  in  Honolulu  about  one  hundred  stores  and  shops  of  various 
kinds,  of  which  probably  seventy-five  are  dry  goods  and  fancy  stores. 
Those  foreign  merchants  who  are  not  missionaries,  pay  the  regular  duties 
imposed  on  all  imports,  but  the  missionary  stores  receive  their  goods  free 
from  duty,  and  are  in  consequence  able  to  undersell  all  others,  and  at 
the  same  time  make  a  handsome  profit.  The  native  women  are  great 
and  extravagant  purchasers  ;  some  of  them  boast  of  possessing  fifty  or 
seventy-five  silk  and  satin  dresses ;  as  I  have  said  before,  they  have  only 
one  way  of  obtaining  money,  and  it  is  a  well  known  and  monstrous  fact, 
that  these  stores  are  entirely  sustained  by  the  prostitution  of  the  Ka 
naka  women. 

We  have  all  heard  of  the  schools  established  in  these  islands,  and  have 
felt  a  great  interest  in  their  success.  These  the  missionaries  have  turned 
to  their  own  account,  teaching  only  the  Hawaiian  language,  which  is  but 
a  miserable  jargon  of  words,  the  whole  alphabet  containing  but  twelve 
letters,  and  susceptible  of  no  improvement.  English  is  only  taught  in 
the  royal  school,  where  the  nobility  are  educated ;  if  taught  to  the  com 
mon  people,  they  would  become  too  intelligent  upon  the  subject  of  their 
own  position,  and  the  missionaries  would  lose  the  influence  they  possess 
from  speaking  the  native  tongue.  The  half-castes  they  do  not  wish 
taught  at  all,  and  only  recently  have  permitted  them  to  enter  their 
schools.  With  these  people,  as  with  all  colored  races,  an  intermixture 
<of  blood  with  the  whites  improves  the  intellect,  and  sharpens  the  wit ; 


NOT    AS    THEY    SHOULD   UK.  15' 

something  by  no  means  desired  by  their  teachers.  Within  a  few  years, 
however,  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Reynolds,  a  benevolent  old  gentle 
man  from  Massachusetts,  an  excellent  charity  school  has  been  established, 
in  part  supported  by  the  contributions  of  strangers,  and  partly  by  foreign 
residents,  not  missionaries.  Many  attempts  liave  been  made  to  destroy 
this  school,  by  bribing  the  teachers,  or  threatening  their  expulsion  from 
society,  if  they  persisted  in  their  labors,  but  all  in  vain ;  for,  though  the 
position  of  the  female  teachers  was  oftentimes  extremely  unpleasant,  the 
school  has  been  sustained,  and  has  demonstrated,  by  the  proficiency  of 
its  pupils,  that  they  are  susceptible  of  great  and  rapid  improvement. 
Mr.  Reynolds,  this  venerable  philanthropist,  has  not  only  succeeded  in 
having  the  half-castes  taught  music  and  other  accomplishments,  but  has 
himself  taught  them  dancing,  though  nearly  sixty  years  old,  and  is  re 
garded  by  them  all  as  their  second  and  kindest  father.  Several  of  his 
pupils  have  married  wealthy  and  influential  merchants,  and  are,  in  fact, 
almost  the  only  ones  recognized  in  foreign  society. 

There  are  but  three  denominations  of  Christians  now  upon  the  islands, 
—  Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  and  Catholics;  very  few  indeed  of  the 
last,  who,  by  constant  annoyance  and  persecution,  have  been  nearly  all 
driven  away.  There  is  no  Episcopal  clergyman  in  Honolulu,  but  the 
service  is  read  by  a  gentleman  who  is  soon  to  take  orders.  At  the 
"  Bethel,"  or  Presbyterian  church,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Taylor  has  officiated 
for  some  months,  in  the  absence  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Damon,  the  usual  occu 
pant  of  the  pulpit.  The  "  Bethel "  is  always  well  filled  by  missionary 
and  foreign  residents,  well  dressed,  and  very  attentive  to  stereotyped 
orthodox  sermons,  untainted  by  the  least  suspicion  of  originality. 

The  ladies  and  children  come  in  a  kind  of  wagon  to  the  church,  drawn; 
by  natives,  instead  of  horses,  two  of  whom  (or  of  which?)  run  before, 
and  one  behind.  This  is  the  usual  way  in  which  they  go  shopping  or  to 
pay  visits,  and  the  patient  Kanaka  throws  himself  on  the  ground,  quietly 
waiting  till  the  purchasing  or  gossipping  is  finished,  and  his  mistress 
ready  to  set  out  again.  At  first,  this  harnessing  up  of  human  beings 
looked  a  little  singular,  even  after  a  long  residence  in  a  slave  state,  but, 
in  Honolulu,  one  soon  ceases  to  be  astonished  at  anything,  and  rides  after 
a  pair  of  prancing  Kanakas  with  as  much  composure  as  if  they  were 
ponies.  Riding  on  horseback  is  the  favorite  amusement  of  all  colors  and 
classes,  and  the  island  roads  are  admirably  suited  to  its  enjoyment. 
Smooth,  hard,  and  seldom  muddy,  a  canter  over  them  is  really  delightful, 
with  the  fresh  sea  breeze  fanning  your  cheek,  and  bearing  on  its  breath 
the  rich  perfume  of  sandal  wood  and  wild  flowers. 

From  Punch  Bowl  Hill,  there  is  a  charming  view  of  the  city  and  bay,, 
which  lie  in  green,  and  white,  and  gold,  at  its  foot.  At  Cocoanut  Grove, 
you  may  have  a  gallop  on  the  beach,  and  see  the  surf-bathers,  who, 
kneeling  on  one  knee  upon  a  long  pointed  board,  will  ride  back  and  "forth 
upon  the  surf,  hours  at  a  time,  for  your  amusement.  But  the  most  de 
lightful  ride  is  to  the  Pa-ra,  or  precipice,  about  six  miles  from  Honolulu. 
The  road  lies  through  a  lovely  valley,  filled  with  charming  houses,  and 
gardens  embowered  in  trees,  and  watered  by  sparkling  rivulets,  whose 
cool  murmurs  are  a  continual  song  of  gladness,  After  a  few  miles,  you 


16  THE    SANDWICH    ISLANDS    AS    THEY    ARE, 

pass  into  a  wilder  region  ;  the  hills  approach  each  other,  the  fragrant 
boughs  of  the  sandal  wood  almost  meet  over  your  head,  the  rank  grass 
waves  undisturbed,  and  a  sudden  silence  seems  to  have  fallen  upon  the 
earth.  Deep  shadows  fill  the  glen  on  either  side,  while  now  and  then  a 
sharp  peak  shoots  up  into  the  sunlight,  reflecting  back  its  golden  smile. 
Only  the  birds  have  voices,  and  they  call  to  each  other,  from  their  nests 
among  the  rich  foliage,  in  happy  security.  Wilder  and  narrower,  the 
road  gradually  ascends,  till  it  is  barely  wide  enough  for  two  horses 
abreast,  when  suddenly,  without  warning,  you  stand  upon  the  summit  of 
a  precipice  of  fifteen  hundred  feet  sheer  descent,  and  look,  after  you 
catch  your  breath,  on  to  a  green  and  lovely  plain  below,  where  the  houses 
look  like  ant-hills,  and  men  and  animals  scarcely  larger  than  the  indus 
trious  insects  themselves.  A  steep  and  difficult  road  is  cut  in  the  side 
of  the  mountain  on  the  right  of  the  Pa-ra,  and  the  view  is  closed  by  the 
sea,  which  girdles  the  plain  with  its  blue  and  restless  waters.  It  was  over 
this  frightful  precipice  that  Kamehameha  1st  drove  his  rebellious  subjects 
some  forty  years  ago,  and  the  bones  of  three  thousand  men  yet  lie  bleach 
ing  at  its  foot. 

The  Kanakas  are  extravagantly  fond  of  riding  on  horseback,  and  the 
women,  sitting  astride,  ride  better  than  the  men.  There  is  a  fine  race 
course  about  two  miles  from  Honolulu,  where  they  try  the  speed  of  their 
horses,  almost  every  evening.  On  Saturday,  their  grand  gala-day,  it  is 
almost  dangerous  for  a  lady  to  attempt  to  make  her  way  through  the 
streets,  and  some  have  been  seriously  injured  by  the  rash  and  intemper 
ate  riding  of  the  natives  against  them.  Strangers  are  not  allowed  the 
privilege  of  a  hasty  gallop,  but  are  forced  to  take  a  moderate  pace,  under 
the  penalty  of  a  visit  to  the  fort,  and  a  fine  as  large  as  they  dare  impose. 
Strangers,  on  arriving  at  the  islands,  are  immediately  surrounded  by  a 
set  of  sharpers,  who  prey  upon  them  while  their  money  lasts,  taking 
every  advantage  of  their  inexperience,  raising  their  rents,  doubling  the 
price  of  board,  and  exacting  the  highest  prices  for  the  smallest  service. 
The  servants  are  a  set  of  organized  spies,  who  report  to  the  government 
every  act  and  conversation  of  strangers,  so  that  their  thoughts  and  inten 
tions  are  as  well  understood  by  the  privy  council  as  by  themselves. 
Some  amusing  tricks  have  been  played  off  upon  Mr.  Judd,  by  those 
who  have  discovered  his  system  of  espionage,  which  sent  him  rushing 
about  town  on  his  little  poney,  in  desperate  affright. 

The  usual  custom  for  families  and  single  gentlemen  is,  to  lease  a  cot 
tage  for  apartments,  and  obtain  meals  at  a  hotel  or  boarding-house. 
There  are  plenty  of  natives  who  ask  to  be  received  as  servants,  and  they 
offer  you  their  wives  and  female  children,  soul  and  body,  for  a  few  dollars. 
In  fact,  most  of  the  men  on  the  island  of  Oahu  support  themselves  in 
that  way ;  and  as,  when  they  marry  one  of  a  family  of  girls,  they  marry 
them  all,  their  income  is  often  quite  handsome.  Their  half-caste  chil 
dren  are  nursed  with  great  pride  and  care  by  the  natives,  while  those  of 
their  own  color  are  often  either  destroyed,  or  allowed  to  perish  at  their 
birth,  for  want  of  the  commonest  offices  of  humanity.  Infanticide  is  not 
considered  wrong  among  them,  and  if  a  child  is  ill  or  troublesome,  it  is 
put  out  of  the  way.  For  this  reason,  the  proportion  of  children  to  the 


NOT    AS    THEY    SHOULD    BE.  17 

inhabitants  is  frightfully  small ;  and  I  recollect  of  seeing  but  two  colored 
infants  in  Honolulu,  where  the  natives  all  live  out  of  doors.  Even  in 
rainy  weather,  men,  women  and  children  lie  around  their  doors,  or  by 
the  sides  of  the  streets,  stretched  on  the  grass,  in  every  attitude  of  lazi 
ness.  Work  they  will  not ;  they  have  no  trades,  no  stores,  no  occupa 
tion  except  to  cultivate  the  Taro,  which  is  merely  digging  a  large,  square 
trench,  setting  it  in  rows  through  it,  and  letting  in  the  water  to  cover  the 
roots.  If  not  too  lazy,  the  men  can  catch  plenty  of  fish  just  in  the  har 
bor  ;  if  they  are,  the  women  supply  the  money  to  buy  it,  and  their  larder 
is  furnished. 

This  excessive  indolence  is  partly  the  result  of  climate,  partly  the  sim 
plicity  of  their  wants,  which  offers  no  motive  for  exertion,  but  more  from 
the  debility  of  disease,  which  pervades  all  classes,  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest,  the  king  not  excepted,  and  shows  itself  in  various  forms  of 
scrofula  and  erysipelas,  most  disgusting  to  behold.  These  people  are 
absolutely  unable  to  perform  hard  labor,  if  they  would  ;  and  under  no 
change  or  form  of  government,  would  they  become  valuable  subjects. 
Whether,  eventually,  these  Islands  should  be  annexed  to  the  United 
States,  or  become  an  independent  republic,  the  introduction  of  slavery  is 
indispensable  to  their  value  The  planters  have  employed  natives,  who 
only  work  when  and  as  much  as  they  choose,  and  often  leave  them  in  the 
midst  of  gathering  their  crops  ;  and  they  have  imported  "  coolies  "  from 
China,  who  are  equally  inefficient,  and  sometimes  even  more  so.  If  an 
independent  republic  should  be  established,  the  planters,  without  slave 
labor,  would  be  unable  to  compete  either  with  Manilla,  the  South  Ameri 
can  States,  or  the  West  Indies,  after  paying  the  heavy  duties  on  sugar, 
their  principal  product ;  and  most  of  them  now  residing  in  the  island 
have  been  ruined  by  the  attempt. 

Should  annexation  to  the  United  States  ever  be  contemplated,  our 
government  must  consider  well  whether  it  is  worth  their  while  to  raise 
again  the  vexed  question  of  slavery  or  anti-slavery  on  the  extreme  verge 
of  the  western  world  ;  and  where,  too,  from  the  nature  of  the  climate, 
slavery  will  certainly  exist,  ere  many  years  be  passed.  Doubtless,  the 
soil  is  of  great  fertility,  and  no  language  can  describe  the  beauty  of  the 
climate  ;  but  have  we  not  millions  of  acres  of  uncultivated  land,  teeming 
with  richness,  in  various  States  of  the  Union,  and  especially  in  Califor 
nia  ?  where,  at  present,  quite  as  much  wealth  is  dug  out  of  its  valley 
farms  as  out  of  its  gold  mines.  It  is  evident  to  the  most  casual  observer, 
that  the  present  state  of  things  cannot  long  continue  ;  the  king  is  greatly 
diseased,  and  extremely  intemperate,  partly  from  mortification  at  his  own 
position,  and  in  part  because  he  has  been  encouraged  thus  to  weaken  his 
own  intellect.  A  few  years,  and  he  will  pass  away,  when  some  great  and 
radical  change  must  take  place  ;  as  I  am  persuaded  that  the  native  popu 
lation  will  unite  with  the  foreign,  to  prevent  the  re-establishment  of  Mr. 
Judd's  authority,  if,  indeed,  they  themselves  are  not  extinct  ere  that 
time  arrives. 

The  greatest  estimate  of  native  population  in  all  the  Sandwich  Islands 
at  present,  is  80,000,  while  a  few  years  ago,  they  numbered  150,000 
souls.  The  foreign  population  is  daily  increasing ;  from  China  and  Aus- 


18  THE    SANDWICH    ISLANDS    AS    THEY    ARE,    ETC. 

tralia,  on  the  west,  while  America  and  the  Eastern  Continent  send  large 
and  growing  contributions.  Few  except  the  missionaries  are  wealthy, 
from  the  restrictions  on  commerce  and  agriculture,  but  all  manage  to 
live,  from  the  low  price  of  the  absolute  necessaries  of  life,  which  will 
sustain  them.  Many,  who  afterwards  leave,  are  seduced  into  remaining 
until  their  funds  are  exhausted,  by  the  promise  of  profitable  employment, 
and  no  place  is  so  difficult  to  escape  from  in  debt.  If  any  person  has 
been  in  business  there,  and  wishes  to  leave,  he  is  obliged  to  advertise  his 
intentions  in  the  government  newspaper,  for  a  week  before  he  departs  ; 
if  he  does  not,  the  sheriff  is  empowered  to  shut  him  up  in  the  fort  till  he 
pays  a  fine.  If  he  is  in  debt,  the  creditor  applies  to  his  consul,  who  is 
obliged  to  refuse  him  a  passport,  without  which,  the  creditor  forbids  the 
captain  of  the  vessel  on  which  he  is  going  to  take  him  away,  under  a  fins 
of  five  hundred  dollars.  If,  in  spite  of  all  this,  he  is  detected  in  the 
attempt  to  get  away,  he  is  put  in  the  fort,  treated  as  a  state  prisoner, 
and  put  upon  the  public  highway,  to  work  out  his  debt  at  twenty-Jive  cents 
yer  day.  The  policy  of  the  government  evidently  is,  so  to  disgust  for 
eigners  as  to  prevent  their  making  the  islands  their  residence. 

Mr.  Judd,  and  all  connected  with  it,  are  rich  enough  not  to  risk  their 
present  position  to  increase  the  commerce  or  agriculture  of  the  country  ; 
and  their  only  safety  lies  in  excluding  all  foreigners  from  either  office  or 
influence,  except  creatures  of  their  own.  Many  a  man  with  too  much 
independence  of  spirit  to  suit  them,  has  been  crushed  out  of  sight  by 
their  persecutions,  and  forced  to  leave,  or  starve.  The  present  state  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands  is  that  of  an  un-Christianized  despotism,  covered 
by  a  thick  but  transparent  veil  of  hypocrisy,  which  should  long  ere  this 
have  been  torn  off.  That  the  board  of  missions  is  aware  of  the  manner 
in  which  its  confidence  is  abused  and  its  aid  expended,  is  not  for  one 
moment  to  be  supposed,  for  the  whole  missionary  community  of  these 
islands  is  interested  in  keeping  it  in  ignorance  ;  and  I  am  sure  the  pious 
and  charitable,  who  have  so  liberally  contributed  their  substance  for  what 
they  believed  the  holiest  purposes,  would  shrink  with  horror  from  aiding 
•or  abetting  such  impious  hypocrisy ;  and  I  trust  that  all  such  will  read 
these  developments  with  the  same  spirit  in  which  they  are  written,  which 
is  that  of  a  love  of  truth  and  good  faith,  superior  to  all  fear  of  censure. 


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